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CONCACAF Champions League: Santos Laguna 0 Monterrey 0

25 April 2013 06:41

Monterrey held on for a 0-0 draw away to Santos Laguna in the first leg of the CONCACAF Champions League despite a second-half red card.

Argentine striker Cesar Delgado was shown a straight red card in the 66th minute but Monterrey held on for almost half an hour with 10 players to take a step towards their third consecutive CONCACAF Champions League title.

Santos Laguna had 61 percent possession and took 10 shots to six with five on target compared to Monterrey's three but the hosts were unable to get the better of visiting goalkeeper Jonathan Orozco.

Monterrey defeated fellow Mexican club Santos Laguna 3-2 on aggregate in last season's two-legged final to claim a second-successive CONCACAF Champions League title.

Having defeated Santos Laguna in three of their past four games at home in all competitions, Monterrey should have plenty of confidence heading into the second leg on May 1 where a win would see them triumph on aggregate.

However, in a positive for Santos Laguna, a score draw in Monterrey would see them lift the trophy on away goals.

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CONCACAF Champions League Preview: Monterrey v Santos Laguna

22 April 2013 18:14

Monterrey will look to claim a third consecutive CONCACAF Champions League trophy when they travel to Santos Laguna in the first leg on Wednesday.

The fixture marks a repeat of the 2012 final where Monterrey defeated their Mexican counterparts 3-2 on aggregate.

Monterrey reached the final with a 3-1 aggregate victory over Major League Soccer champions Los Angeles Galaxy.

Santos Laguna also defeated American opposition to claim their spot in the final as they beat the Seattle Sounders 2-1 over two legs.

Monterrey will hope Humberto Suazo can add to his four goals in this season's competition for Monterrey and Aldo de Nigris will look to once again be the star performer after netting in both legs against the Galaxy.

Carlos Quintero provides the main threat for Santos Laguna, with the Colombian scoring five times in the competition, including a goal in the semi-final second leg against the Seattle Sounders.

In a preview of the final the two sides met in Liga MX on Saturday. A Felipe Baloy effort in the 19th minute was enough to provide Santos Laguna a 1-0 victory.